Family are considering what we want to do for our holiday next year. One option is to do Leadville (entry via lottery) but as we would be travelling from the UK this would be a lot of cost and assuming I would be placed in a lower coral and therefore making the cut offs might not even be in my control I would be dissapointed to base the whole holiday around attending and no completing due to factors outside of my control (if I give it a go and fail I would not be too bothered). The other consideration is heat - my son and wife arent huge fans of heat so travelling around Easter time would possibly be a better option.
I would however like to try and to a biking event in the US. From what I have seen a lot of the small towns are just like what my wife likes exploring but seem to put on great events (much better than we seem to manage in the UK but we just dont have the space over here!)
So are there any recommendationâs for US cycling events (primarily gravel or MTB) around Easter next year that we could attend but also have a holiday in the local area? We would be happy to relocate once i.e. do one week in one location and a week in another location.
We have previously been to and enjoyed the following:
Vermont
Virginia
New York State
North Carolina
We like mountainous areas and have also done Banff and Jasper in Canada. My wife likes small towns, coffee shops etc and my son and I like to find active things to do. We all enjoy exploring different areas and happy to drive around etc as required.
Sea Otter is the weekend before Easter looks like if you could make that work. Plenty of different events there. Iâve never been to Monterey, CA but Iâve only ever heard glowing reviews of the town. I realize California adds a bit more travel from the UK but might be worth it.
You would also not be that far from Yosemite, Kingâs Canyon, and Sequoia National Parks which I have been to and are pretty spectacular.
Otherwise if there are any specific areas you are looking at the locals can chime in with smaller events. Iâm in Ohio and there are some small gravel and MTB events most weekends in the area that time of year. But I wouldnât fly across the ocean for any of them, lol.
I should rephrase that Im not flying across the ocean just for an event but if I can find something that works with a location that we would be interested in visiting that would be good.
Easter is late April - still mud / spring / winter in a lot of the northern part of the country. Trees are bare, muddy as hell, and people are still skiing in Vermont as an example.
Sea Otter, or something in Arizona / New Mexico might be my choice that time of year.
Thisâď¸, she is spot on. Most races in the US use the bikereg.com site and it is a good tool for you to see events in different areas of the country. You wonât see all of them a year in advance, as some race organizers place their events later than others. I hear Sea Otter is amazing, not just for the ride but for the whole event.
Keep us posted on how your plans are coming along.
If you decide to do an event at the Sea Otter, it is a big party with manufacturers booths etc⌠Centered around the race track.
There are many coastal towns to explore between Monterey and San Francisco. Santa Cruz has A beach/boardwalk with rides. Other towns are Soquel, Capitola and Half Moon Bay.
Just had a friend from the UK visit and he went to Yosemite. His take was âYou can see it in the pictures and it looks beautiful, but when you go there and see it in person itâs so different. Being there and having it be all around you is a next level experience.â
Sea Otter could work but if you want the cute, small town town, coffee shop vibe stay in Monterey-Carmel area. It wonât be cheap and youâll need to book early. Staying anywhere else will definitely not be the vibe you are looking for.
Just so you know what you are getting into⌠April is one of those months where itâs still kinda winter but also headed to summer. Traditionally it tends to be cold, windy & foggy with a short window of sun around mid to late morning. But then again the weather at this yearâs Sea Otter was absolutely phenomenal.
As @webdev511 mentioned you are close to other things like Yosemite as well. Lots of cool things to explore within a few hours. If you end up considering this feel free to DM me, Iâm happy to share local intel.
We prefer staying in Pacific Grove out at the tip of the peninsula⌠deer walking around, nice and cool ocean breezes, and definitely small town. Monterey is a tourist trap, except for the aquarium which is a must see. Carmel has the âthese people have way too much moneyâ vibe but is beautiful. IMHO.